Midnight Hours
by mikkimikka
Summary: Chrollo wakes up in the middle of the night because Kalluto keeps coughing. He spends time trying to alleviate the poor boy's symptoms.


TITLE: Midnight Hours  
AUTHOR: mikkimikka  
RATING: General  
PAIRING: Chrollo x Kalluto  
SUMMARY: Chrollo wakes up in the middle of the night because Kalluto keeps coughing. He spends time trying to alleviate the poor boy's symptoms.

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Midnight Hours

Chrollo was awakened by coughing in the middle of the night. He tried to ignore it, but with each cough came the tremor of the mattress and the occasional moan from the person beside him.

"Kallu..."

He wasn't completely surprised by it. He had a suspicion Kalluto wasn't feeling too well when the normally energetic boy decided to crawl into bed early that evening without any prompting.

Chrollo reached over and pushed the covers around Kalluto, tucking him into something like a cacoon with the blanket pushed under his sides. Kalluto promptly messed it up by curling onto this other side into a ball. He pulled the blanket up to his chin.

Figuring Kalluto would be able to sleep through the night, Chrollo burrowed himself back into bed. Yet, the coughing fit returned. Chrollo sat up.

"Kallu, you sure you're ok?"

Kalluto merely buried his head back in his pillow coughing.

Chrollo's mind was frantic, wondering what it was he was supposed to do.

Chrollo had limited experience in taking care of others, especially being on his own for most of his youth. His family was nonconventional, made up of whatever scraps he could get his hands on, much like any and everything in Meteor City.

Not that Kalluto's family was the most traditional either, but he did have a mother to care for him. He wondered if Kalluto was doted upon when sick.

"Do you want some tea?" Chrollo tried. "It might help your cough so you can sleep through the night."

He asked it without actually being sure if he even had tea on hand. He surely didn't have cough medicine.

When there was no answer, Chrollo sat up. He reached over his boyfriend's frame and turned on the bedside lamp. Kalluto's face scrunched up from the light but he didn't open his eyes. He looked so small curled up against the sheets. His silken hair was plastered to his forehead and cheeks with sweat but Chrollo could still see he was flushed.

"Kalluto."

Chrollo reached down pushing some of Kalluto's hair from his forehead.

"You're burning up."

It was only then that Kalluto, with what appeared to be a great deal of effort, opened his eyes.

"I'm cold," Kalluto said, followed by a cough that he covered with the blanket over his mouth.

Chrollo was startled by how weak he sounded and he immediately bounced out of the bed.

"I'll find you tea," he said as he bounded towards the door.

Chrollo went into his kitchen. It was as bare as can be, devoid of most things other than the absolute bare minimum. He didn't spend much time living out of this place. It was odd to even say it was home. He flung open some cabinets and found nothing that was of use. There wasn't a single tea bag in the place nor drop of honey. Those were the only things Chrollo could think of to ease Kalluto's troubles.

Another round of coughs could be heard from the other room and Chrollo decided he had to make do with what he had. He filled the electric kettle at the tap and plugged it in. He made sure the light was red before going back into the room and sitting at the bedside.

"Here you need to sit up a little. It… it will help with the cough," Chrollo said, faltering a bit because he was unsure.

Kalluto was sluggish but he propped himself on one elbow which allowed Chrollo to stack his pillows on top of Kalluto's.

"There lay your head back down."

He gently coaxed Kalluto back into a reclining position.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Cold," Kalluto said, shivering.

Chrollo frowned. They might have to call Illumi if Kalluto didn't feel better in the morning. He pulled the blanket up to Kalluto's chin and pressed his hand again to his forehead.

"You feel hot."

"Mom always takes my temperature."

Chrollo frowned, "But I don't have anything to check your temperature."

Kalluto coughed and turned onto his side looking downright miserable. Chrollo's heart ached.

"I… I'll be back."

Chrollo stood again to go into the bathroom this time. He pulled out a washcloth and ran it under cold water. Kalluto was cold so he should stay bundled up but Chrollo remembered reading before that a cold compress should be used for a fever. He ran the towel under cold water and rung it out before returning to the room. He folded it in half twice.

"Are you still cold?" Chrollo asked.

"A little."

"Well… if you have a fever you can't stay in those sweaty clothes."

Chrollo set the towel on the bedside table and went to get some clothes for Kalluto from the drawer.

"My mom makes me change my clothes too," Kalluto said.

Chrollo tossed a fresh set of pajamas onto the bed at Kalluto's knees and sat again at his bedside.

"What else does she do for you?" he asked, hoping to get some clues as to what he can do in the absence of medicine.

"I get soup," Kalluto said as he pushed down the blanket and began to change out of his clothes. He pulled off the clothing he was wearing and replaced it with the t-shirt and shorts given to him.

Chrollo didn't have soup.

Chrollo left the room, heading back to the kitchen and checking the kettle. It had boiled and the safety feature turned off the kettle. Chrollo made sure to choose Kalluto's favorite mug, the one with the little herons on it, and poured some water in. He stood for a minute, kettle paused in the air to regard the now mostly full mug. He wondered if it were ok to just give Kalluto warm water, or if that was even something people did.

He remembered his own childhood. When he was sick he didn't have the comforts of pillows to prop up his head, or warm tea to soothe his throat. He was a stranger to the medicinal cherry of children's cough medicine and the gentle press of a mother's fingers against the cold pack on his head.

But now wasn't the time for lingering on such personal matters. Instead, there was Kalluto, who still could be heard coughing in the bedroom. Chrollo resigned himself to the meager offering he had and returned to the room.

When he entered, Kalluto was dressed; his old clothing was folded neatly in squares at the foot of the bed. The blanket was back up to his chin and he was propped up by the pillows. Kalluto looked at Chrollo with heavy eyes.

"Here. Be careful. It's a bit hot," Chrollo warned as he sat back on the edge of the bed.

He turned and Kalluto reached out, taking the offered mug with two hands.

"It's my favorite mug," Kalluto said softly.

"Yeah."

Kalluto looked down at the beverage with curiosity and Chrollo found himself nervous. Would Kalluto bring up that it was a mere cup of boiled water? It was a great relief for Chrollo when Kalluto brought the mug to his lips and took a delicate sip. They sat for a moment as Kalluto drank as much as he could before he wordlessly handed the cup back to Chrollo. Chrollo took it and set it aside, taking up the cool washrag again as Kalluto reclined against the pillows.

"Are you still cold?"

Kalluto shook his head as he pulled the blanket around him. Chrollo used his free hand to stroke Kalluto's forehead which was still burning. He placed the cloth on Kalluto's forehead and watched as Kalluto's eyes closed and he let out a breath. He looked like it soothed him a bit and Chrollo was glad to see it.

"Hold this," Instructed Chrollo. Kalluto did as told, reaching up to hold the rag to his head when Chrollo let go. "You're going to need to keep hydrated. I'll get you more water."

Chrollo got up and went to refill the mug with some of the warm water. When he returned, Kalluto was in the same position as he'd left him, pressing the rag to his own forehead. His eyes were closed and his hair was fanned out around the top of the downy pillow. He didn't even open his eyes when Chrollo's weight moved the mattress. Chrollo took over the task of holding the rag and Kalluto's hand disappeared beneath the sheets.

"The water's on the table by your side," Chrollo told him.

"Thank you."

Chrollo sat like that for a moment, looking down at the small Zoldyck who looked even tinier than usual dwarfed as he was in the blankets and amidst the stacked pillows. Kalluto's eyes cracked open and their eyes met.

"Go back to sleep, Kuro. I'll be fine," Kalluto assured him.

"You sure?"

Kalluto nodded weakly. "Thank you. I feel a little better. I can sleep."

Chrollo took that as a good sign and he moved into a reclining position, joining Kalluto under the blanket.

"Do you need your pillow?" Kalluto asked, voice still raspy.

"Just one," Chrollo said.

He reached under Kalluto and pulled one of the two pillows he had offered back to his side of the bed. Kalluto lifted his head to grant him access and then let it fall back once more. He adjusted the rag on his forehead.

"If you need anything else, you better wake me, OK?" Chrollo said.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

The coughing had died down, and the flush on Kalluto's cheeks from the fever, though still there wasn't as fierce as it had been. It seemed raising his head and drinking the water did do Kalluto some good. Chrollo couldn't help but worry still, but at that time of night, there was really nothing else the man could do. He resigned himself to making a checklist in his mind of tomorrow's errands; pick up medicine, soup, honey, tea, and possibly-if things looked particularly dire-call Illumi.

Content with that, Chrollo got himself comfortable in the bed. He reached over and turned off the light.

THE END

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AN:

Hmmmm I mean... This is a thing. Purely self-indulgent. If you enjoyed it... wow! Thanks!

I appreciate you reading and any reviews and criticism would be absolutely lovely. I do not have a firm grasp on these characters yet after all. Also feel free to check out my other Chrollo and Kalluto thingy if you have the chance. Thank you~


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